Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 19.08 – 25.08

Zelenskyy: The war can only end with the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes  that the war with Russia can only end with the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and the prevention of repeat aggression. Ukraine will strive to achieve this diplomatically but also consider the use of force.

"The war can only end with the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and the prevention of another aggression by Putin and Russia. We will do everything from our side to force Putin to end this war diplomatically, to minimize losses—primarily of people and time. But if this doesn’t work, let’s say, our partners falter and do not stand firmly against Putin's aggression. Against him as a criminal, then we will do everything to ensure our army is ready to expel Putin from our country's territory justly."

 

Duda is confident Ukraine will soon win the war against Russia

Polish President Andrzej Duda, in his speech on Ukraine's Independence Day in Kyiv, expressed his conviction that Ukraine will be able to defend its freedom and that "the war will soon end in victory," while also emphasizing that the bonds uniting Ukraine and Poland are stronger than any disputes.

Duda noted that Ukraine's Independence Day is, to some extent, also the independence day of all Central Europe because "without Ukraine's independence, it's hard to imagine an independent and secure Poland, Lithuania, or other countries in our region."

He praised the heroic struggle of Ukrainians to preserve their independence and promised that Poland would support Ukraine until its victorious conclusion.

"We Poles know that independence is not given once and for all. In our history, we have endured tragic moments, losing our sovereignty twice and restoring it twice through superhuman efforts," Duda reminded us.

 

ISW: Defense forces continued advancing in the Sudzha area

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), having analyzed collected data, confirmed the advancement of Ukrainian troops in the Sudzha area of Russia's Kursk region.

"Ukrainian troops continued their slight advance in the Sudzha area amid ongoing Ukrainian operations in the Kursk region on August 23."

Geolocated footage published on August 22 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced further in the southern part of Rus'ka Konopelka (east of Sudzha).

A Russian blogger claimed that Ukrainian forces also advanced north of Martynivka (northeast of Sudzha) along the R-200 Sudzha-Sukhodolivka highway.

Russian sources also assert that there are conflicting reports of fighting east of Sudzha in the area of Samoryadovo and Kozyrivka, but that mobile groups of Ukrainian forces are likely operating in this area.

Some Russian bloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces also advanced north of Martynivka (northeast of Sudzha).

 

Biden informed Zelenskyy about a new US aid package in a phone call

US President Joe Biden called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day, confirming  a new military aid package and expressing unwavering support for the people of Ukraine.

Biden noted that during the conversation with Zelenskyy, he expressed America's unwavering support for the people of Ukraine and confirmed that Ukraine will remain a "free, sovereign, and independent country."

He added that the US will announce a new military aid package for Ukraine by the end of Thursday.

"The package includes air defense missiles to protect Ukraine's critical infrastructure; equipment to counter drones and anti-tank missiles to defend against Russia's evolving battlefield tactics; as well as ammunition for frontline soldiers and mobile rocket systems that protect them," Biden listed.

 

Zelenskyy met with Indian Prime Minister Modi in Kyiv

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met  with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyiv. They honored the memory of children who died as a result of Russian aggression.

The meeting took place at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv, where a temporary memorial complex for children killed by Russian aggression was set up.

"Together with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, we honored the memory of the children whose lives were taken by Russian aggression. The children of every country deserve safety. We must make it possible."

 

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell to tell about current news and events in Ukraine.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти про актуальні новини та події в Україні.